Carrier pigeon: 6 best breeds of sports birds, their diet and breeding

Pigeon mail has long been used to send messages quickly and reliably over long distances. It has been used by many nations. Today, there is no need for birds to send letters, and therefore carrier pigeons are used only in sports competitions. Consider the description of the breeds, advantages and disadvantages. How to keep, feed, breed and train pigeons.

Historical Carrier Pigeons

Pigeon mail has operated in many countries for centuries and has remained the fastest and most reliable. Pigeons were used not only to deliver private messages, notices about the state of affairs in the securities market, but also military reports.So, for example, in France in 1870, birds were used to transmit secret messages in the war with the Germans. Modern carrier pigeons are called sports. Hardy, have a special body structure, optimal size, excellent speed qualities.

Famous Breeds

Now there are several varieties of carrier pigeons used in sports. The varieties differ in characteristics and plumage.

Czechs

Representatives of the breed have dense and smooth plumage, light color. The birds are folded correctly, the body is placed horizontally. Czechs have a small head, flattened from the sides, a wide forehead. The neck is long, widened at the base. Long strong wings, narrow tail.

Pros and consendurance;physical strength;he alth;devotion to the owner;learn quickly.results are shown only at short distances.

The breed pigeons are easy to work with and are used by hobbyists and professionals in competition.

Belgian

Considered the standard for sport breeds. The body is rounded, developed chest, long neck. Pigeons have a rounded head and a short neck. A feature of the breed is short feathers on the wings and tail. The color is not the same: brown, gray, reddish.

Pros and consversatility, can be used as mail birds and for competitions;good physique;endurance.birds are expensive;not suitable for breeding by beginners.

This is an old and famous breed, bred back in the 19th century. Appreciated by pigeon breeders as a classic.

Dragons

Birds with a small, dense body. Short neck, small head. A distinctive feature is the growths on the beak at the base and around the eyes. The ends of the wings reach the tail. The color of dragons is white and black, gray and mottled.

Pros and consorient in space;fly fast;unpretentious in food and maintenance;active and mobile even in old age.when crossed with other breeds, the characteristic features are not preserved.

German

The breed is derived from the offspring of pigeons of the English and Dutch breeds. Birds have a compact body, short beak and tail, and a long neck. Coloring varied.

Pros and consgrowing fast;flight speed;noble exterior.small size;non-proliferation.

English

Derived from Egyptian quarry rock. English pigeons have a large, high-set body and a relatively small head. Growths on the beak and near the eyes. Plumage of different colors, hard.

Pros and consgood flying qualities;beautiful exterior.breeding can only be undertaken by an experienced poultry farmer.

Russian

The body and head are graceful, the beak is sharp, the tips of the wings are bent. Feathers are white, rarely variegated.

Pros and consdeveloped muscles;flight speed.small mass;content requirements.

How pigeon mail works

The use of pigeon mail is based on the ability of pigeons to return home wherever they are released. How they find their home is still not exactly established, but the birds do it unmistakably. They are able to fly hundreds of kilometers without rest. The average flight speed is 70-100 km/h.At the same time, birds can carry a load weighing up to 75 g.

Diet of mail birds

No more than 100 g of feed should be fed per carrier pigeon, overfeeding leads to the fact that the birds begin to be lazy. Food is given 3 times a day, at dawn, at one o'clock in the afternoon and before sunset. They feed heavily only during the molting period and in winter when it is cold.

Pigeons are fed grains of cereals (except oats and rye) and legumes, limiting the proportion of green peas. In the diet of birds there should be sources of mineral elements - s alt, calcium, in the house there should be fine sand for proper digestion. Young animals need to be fed with animal products and vegetable oil so that the body develops, feathers acquire beauty.

Water should be fresh, at room temperature. Pigeons can swim in the water, so in the summer they need to put water containers for bathing. As with keeping pigeons of ordinary breeds, you need to follow the rules - remove droppings, ventilate the room, and disinfect it.

Features of training

The start of training is when the pigeons are 6 weeks old and their feathers are fully developed. The training consists in taking the bird a short distance from the house and releasing it. She returns, and everything repeats, but this time the distance is increased. So the pigeon gets used to what is required of him.

In the first season, the maximum distance should not exceed 320 km. If the pigeon needs to fly less than 100 km, then training takes place every other day, if more than 100 km, then it is allowed to rest for 4 days. The results must be recorded in order to build a training regimen based on them.

The best time for training is April-October, that is, all the warm season. At first, you can release only in good weather, as rain or intense wind can lead the bird astray. Then, when the pigeon gains experience, you can continue in adverse weather.

When the pigeons learn, every month they need to be released to the maximum distance so that they do not become lazy and fat. Pigeons that do not have a mate are not allowed to train. It is believed that in the wild they can look for a partner and not return.

An hour before release, pigeons are fed and watered. Birds need to be released from an open place located at least on a small hill. The duration of the flight is affected by the nature of the terrain. If it is open, without obstacles, the pigeon will reach the target faster (even if the distance is long) than overcoming a short but mountainous or wooded area.

Rules of breeding and cultivation

When building a dovecote, it must be taken into account that it should be located away from wires and communication systems in order to minimize risks for birds.The recommended height of the structure is 2 m, the bird population density is no more than 4 per 1 sq. m. In the house you need to maintain a constant temperature, moderate humidity, lighting at 14 o'clock. Proper care allows pigeons to grow and develop properly.

In half a year, carrier pigeons can be mated. 2 weeks after mating, the dove lays an egg, a day later - the second. Young females can lay as little as 1 egg. The date of laying of the first egg must be recorded, this may be necessary if only one chick hatches. Then you can put someone else's dove in the nest, if necessary. Hatching begins after laying 2 eggs, both parents incubate the offspring in turn, but most of the time the female sits in the nest.

To get purebred chicks, you need to select only purebred parents. Select he althy, strong, young birds that have the best characteristics.

This is how you can improve the livestock by conducting breeding work on your farm, choosing the best of the best from your own pigeons.

Positive and negative aspects of carrier pigeons

Pros and consoriginal exterior;strength, endurance;possibility of application in sports.inferior in productivity to meat and egg breeds;to keep representatives of the elite lines, you need to participate in competitions.

Raising postal pigeons is no more difficult than other pigeon breeds. They eat the same things, require the same conditions of detention. But they also need to be trained, otherwise they will lose their qualities for which they were bred.

Modern mail

In the countries of Europe and the world, pigeons still continue to fulfill their duties. Birds are used in Switzerland, Cuba, Holland. In Belgium, pigeons carry important information over short distances, and in England, trading exchanges use pigeon mail.Delivery by pigeon mail can be more profitable and faster than modern communication methods due to the congestion of highways.

However, pigeons, for obvious reasons, are used to a limited extent and, in general, compete in competitions that are arranged in order to identify the best representatives of the breeds. Postal breeds are bred by amateurs who value them not for their productive qualities, but for their strength, endurance, beautiful flight, and graceful build.

Breeds of carrier pigeons have been bred for a long time and are still popular. And not only as beautiful birds; the purpose of the mail has not lost its relevance today. They are still used for their intended purpose, although much less frequently than in the past.

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